niklasvm

That's exactly what i did for most of the spring season, you get a lot of fitness from riding alone but you don't get much experience with race dynamics and how to ride in a bunch.

last year in the spring season there were lots of opportunities to just hide in the bunch due to the flat races. I'm quite interested to see how my seeding improves with the more hilly races i've done this season

the raw index is merely (your time/winners time)-1. then follow the instructions: - compare all results of current race with index less than 30% to results in the base event with index less than 100% - then regress the current race times on the base event times - this gives you the beta and allows you to calculate the adjusted winners time - lastly use the formula: race index = (your time/adj winners time - 1)/beta obviously the way racetec does it they filter the data and might remove some so you won't get the index correct to the 5th decimal place but you get a very close approximation.

the instructions on how you are seeded are up on the PPA website so using excel you could work it out yourself.

i've been riding a rc3000 with tiagra and have done 8500km on it in the last year. had no hassles with any components so don't know what some of you have against them. important thing to also remember is the more expensive your bike, the more expensive it'll be to maintain and replace components if you crash or something. the most important thing is to find a bike that fits and you feel comfortable on.

you are not sharing the sportstracker with everyone so no one will be able to access it

You're correct, thats why generally they only last for one crash, after you've knocked it once i don't think you can really trust that you'll be protected again.

So on monday i took my first real crash and as a result have written off my helmet. Its a yellow giro one, not sure exactly what model though. Does anyone know what the crash replacement warranty is about? I've searched in the forum but no exact results. Problem also is that i've had it for a while and no longer have the receipt. Any advice?

I've got tiagra on my bike and was also considering possibly upgrading but realised the thing about the running costs. Had to replace my shifter recently and had it been ultegra for example it would have been quite a lot more expensive. I think if you're riding elite and the only thing stopping you from doing better is a bit of weight and not having 10 speed then go for it. Otherwise its definitely about perception and how happy you are. Until i reach that point i'm very happy with my aluminium frame and tiagra groupset.

I don't think that people who rode the argus for instance are a representative sample. Most of them only ride once a year. Even after the race I saw them riding through Greenpoint all over the road, some of them on their phones, etc.

So after 2 months of waiting i finally got paid out about R2000 for the damages. Its not going to get me a new frame but at least it covers my shifter that had to be replaced. Oh well

Wow, really great photos!

Yeah i am. I haven't done a crit since Killarney. It really does get tough. The one session we did an hour plus 1 lap at 39.6km/h with a gale force SE. Average heart rate 183. I don't think it'll be that hard though because its a mixed group. And yes you do get time to drink

Hey Woofie. You've got the right idea for argus. We've got tons of races throughout the year to try and do well in. Something like the Argus should really be enjoyed. I was having fun until Simon's Town when i was stuck at the back of the group and lost the leaders up Smits. Chasing them for the next 20km was completely futile and i just tired myself out unnecessarily.

In Cape Town a 75km ride can be brutal considering you'll probably end up climbing over 1000m with all the hills we've got. I've ridden in joburg and its mostly been fast and flat. Geno, looks like you've made some good breakthroughs. My biggest aim is to keep riding consistently through winter. The rain last year was terrible and riding was just so unpleasant, not to mention how much you have to clean your bike. Going to carry on with my training till after the Malmesbury race and then take a couple of slow weeks. Also planning to lose some weight so i can come back even faster on the hills in spring. Looking forward to it.

How did E group do? Was the pace quite hard? I started out really strong and then dropped my chain so lost the leaders and just time trialled alone.

My bike was damaged in January on a Kulula. They finally paid out this week for part of the damage but in their case they limited their liability to US$20 per kilogram of luggage which won't cover a new frame in your case.

I heard A also only did about 3:03

With Boyes Drive it makes the race a little bit longer but then on top if it now you get exposed to the wind as well. The problem is Cape Town always has wind like this in late summer

I dropped my chain at the base of Wynberg hill and as a result lost 40s off the front group, never managed to catch them but i think i overexerted myself completely by trying to. Can't wait to take a look at the results.

on SABC they said the invitational group climbed suikerbossie at 38km/h. is that even possible?

I agree, my goal was the elusive sub 3 but unluckily only did about 3:30. I don't think many people went under 3 today. Anyone know what the winning time was for the leaders in E group?

I hate it that the media is making such a big thing about the wind. Its going to be fine. I can't wait! People that chickened out last year missed out a good time, it was my first argus and i thought it was awesome, even though I time trialled the whole race alone and only started at 10:30. Good luck to all

clear skies with some clouds. can't see if the wind is blowing though